Overall, I think Barcelona got as many bad decisions as Francenal. A disallowed goal at the Library and Messi could have easily had a penalty in the first half.

Ultimately, Arsenal were responsible for their failure. Wenger had the chance to strengthen his squad but didn't. He needs a real centre half and someone like Cahill at Bolton would be an excellent job and he wouldn't have been cup tied if he'd bought him in Jan.

He needs a big strong character as a leader in the team. WTF was Fabregas doing with that back heel? And worse, none of his team mates gave him a bollocking.

As for Bendtner...words fail me.

Van Persie got a stupid yellow (the first one) and there is always the risk the ref will get a decision wrong.

Wenger's problem (apart from being French) is that he wants to win football playing a pretty passing game and doesn't want to spend big. There is nothing wrong with developing player but Barcelona compliment their players with quality signings like David Villa.

He also refuses to play any other way than a passing game. Its fine when you are better than the opposition but taking on Barcelona at the own game in their stadium is madness. Park the bus and get stuck in.

I should be a manager.

Mandy felt Brian's wrath when she wandered in front of him after they'd announced free beer at the bar.....

The reason I believe the sending off worked in Arsenals favour was because it made them get forward less.

Realistically, with 11 players, they made no chances, or anything relatively close to a chance to be honest, besides a corner which no one was near scoring until busquets met it.

Rewatch the first half. Every time Arsenal got the ball, they would string one or two passes together at best, and then play it forward to RVP to hold up the play. The problem with this was that RVP didn't hold up play well enough due to been swarmed by Barca defenders, and resulted in many arsenal players getting forwards, only to have to sprint back into defence as Barca came forwards with the ball for another attack against defenders mid fielders who were still tracking back to cover the defence.

As soon as RVP was off the pitch, arsenals shape stayed the same, so they were effectively playing 4 defenders and 5 midfielders with no centre forward. This meant when they got the ball, they had no where to go forward. This sounds like a negative thing, and normally it is, but when you are defending a scoreline which would win you the tie, it is a massive bonus. Instead of Arsenal playing it forward to RVP to hold up so Arsenal players could get forward, they made barely any ground before Barca won the ball back. This meant that Arsenal were almost always in a defensive situation, and that they were always in proper shape from a defensive perspective.

If you recall back to when Inter Milan defended against Barca, Mourinho actually said that he didn't want his team to have the ball, because if they went forwards with the ball it meant the team was out of position defensively, which makes Barca more dangerous coming forwards.

So yes it is harder to play football if you lose a player, but Arsenal/inter milan weren't going out to play football, they were both going out to defend, and defence strength is always about how well organised and prepared the team is. If they are not running forward into attacking positions, they are always well positioned defensively, and far harder to break down.

IMO the sending off would have changed nothing, if anything Arsenal would have been easier to break down and stastic's can sometimes lie, but in cases like this they do not. 0 attempts on goal with RVP on and off the pitch. Unless Busquets had his most prolific game in history, Arsenal were never going to get more goals.

^ The main problem is Arsenal are not built like Inter defensively + Inter didn't have to chase the game a much as we did due to the 1st leg. Their 3-1 1st leg last year allowed them a bit of breathing room and the ability to play no offense and keep positions. They didn't try to create anything forward because well, they didn't have to. Eto would take it as far forward by himself as he could, then get back behind the center line. If would had an extra home goal to play with, I would not argue with the RvP sending off as a good thing. The fact we only had a 1 goal cushion made the game almost impossible after the sending off, especially when Cesc is passing with a blindfold at our 18 minutes before half. Bendtner had the tie at his feet but is touch failed him. For all the wrong decisions over both legs, I really hope FIFA/UEFA start upping their game over the use of SOME technology. I know Barca fans don't want to feel wronged as much as I do. If Bendtner put that shot in and we hold on, think of all the Barca fans that would look back to the 1st leg on those officiating mistakes just like I look to the 2nd. You can say it evens out but I think it just takes away from the entire game. When either team has a good case for being wronged as the other, it's not much of a justice but a statement of how much FIFA/UEFA are still in the dark ages of technology.

Hardly, even at the camp nou we had one or two offsides called against us that were not offside, and we had a clear hands down penalty in the first half that wasn't even given as a free kick. The only real injustice Arsenal suffered was RVP been sent off, for what he was sent off for. However he was lucky to be on the pitch in the first place, another referee would have given a straight red for his offence. He also had another challenge on messi early on which should have been a yellow as it was dangerous. I very much feel that the referee saw the replays at half time, and tried to correct his error by sending him off at the nearest possible opportunity. I'm not saying that is correct officiating, but it is justice, he only has himself to blame for been sent off.

Yes Arsenal had less of a cushion to work with, but that is no ones fault but their own. Having him off the pitch and playing more defensively done them more good than having him on the pitch and playing poor attacking football creating no chances and losing the ball more.

The simple fact is that Arsenal came up against the best team in the world imo and they were outclassed, and the right team went through. I haven't heard a neutral not agree with that, and there isn't many Arsenal fans who disagree with that either.

The sitters that Barca missed are chances, a ball in the edge of the box and 0 shots per game, aren't really missed chances..

Considering his touch was on the outside right of his foot and caromed left vs. right away from JM, it would have at least be a decent opportunity with only Valdes between him and goal. Simple as that.

@KLC, not saying it wasn't Arsenal's fault for the lack of advantage from the 1st leg, but simply that one team can't mimick another for success. Even in the Barca/Inter game, there was a controversial late call against Barca that would have otherwise sent them through.

All I'm saying is that you'll never convince me that have one less man vs. the best team in the world is somehow an advantage. You'll never convince me that crippling a main source of attack/give-and-go's to the wings/and any sort of hold-up play somehow plays to your advantage when you're chasing the game. I'm not even arguing the result of the tie but yes, the game became much easier for Barca AFTER the RvP sending off...not Arsenal.

There's no doubt the best team went through. Hell, put Barca vs any team in the world and if Barca advance then the better team went through. There were several game changing decisions made by the referee that were incorrect- probably a couple more which were negatives for Barca than negatively affected Arsenal.

Barcelona totally outplayed Arsenal, but at least Arsenal kept it from being another standard Barca game of domination and going through the motions by staying within a goal of winning the tie. (Not that Barca didn't dominate, just that they were still fighting with purpose to get a goal right until the end because they knew that was the only way to kill off the tie).

It's too bad there were so many officiating errors between both legs. As an Arsenal fan it's painful to say/admit that justice was done because I am biased and it was terribly frustrating to see RVP get that second yellow... but if anyone tried to make an argument that Barca didn't deserve to advance, they'd be talking out their ass.

I was stunned how close Arsenal came to pulling it off. After what seemed like an eternity of Barca passing the ball about, all of a sudden Wilshere is streaking down the wing and plays in Bendtner- who just couldn't get his first touch right. That would have epitomized a 'goal against the run of play.'

Yea but with exams this week and my job I don't have time to invest watching games that already happened and I already know the score. I was thinking about avoiding the result and watching it when FSC premiered it but someone on facebook ruined it for me.